Here's the quote. It has led to much speculation that unlike the other commentarians, Sladen is suddenly worth big money what with having her own hit tv show. Or in Australia, belatedly released on cable show.

"The joy now is doing the DVD commentaries, although unfortunately I’m not anymore due to contractual reasons with 2entertain, we couldn’t come to an agreement."

Sounds like she wanted more money now that she has an on air TV show, and they did not want to pay it.
Or am I being too cynical?

Not sure if anyone has heard this one yet but I read in today's Advertiser that a UK archivist has arrived on our shores in the hunt for missing Doctor Who episodes.

The article specifically mentioned 'Dr Who and the Road to Cathay'  Not sure if that was part of the Marco Polo story or what - memory plays with me these days!

I wish this guy the best of luck in finding anything - he's going to need it!!

At the moment it's just a strange piece of self publicity. No news, and the story title, number of episodes and even film format are all wrong, wrong, wrong.

Being polite we'll attribute the nonsense to idiot journalists and presume there was a real story in there at some point.

Fair enough - the report did sound rather dodgy.

I think the chances of anyone finding any surviving stories from the 1960's now is very remote...and if they did what condition would it be in?

The last time anyone found any complete episode was The Crusade Part 3 in 1998 wasn't it?

No!

The Daleks' Master Plan 2 (Day of Armageddon) in 2004.

When you consider the flood of recoveries in the '80s, with only Day of Armageddon, The Tomb of the Cybermen in 1992 and The Crusade 1 (The Lion) in 1999 it does rather show how it's dried up.

There's already a response to Damian Finucane's story, claiming a video rented in Thailand had been recorded over most of a black and white episode.

One would assume that an episode found in Thailand would have a Thai soundtrack attached - or that it may have had Thai subtitles?

I think I read somewhere that the BBC holds all of the English audio tracks from every story - is this correct or has someone gotten the wrong end of the stick - ie me!!

They do indeed. Even the first episode was audio recorded. From episode eight of The Daleks' Master Plan (Volcano) one of the recordists managed to plug his reel to reel tape machine into the television and record at a professional speed, with a marked increase in quality. There is the odd blemish but the multiple copies made cover each other.

The BBC was not interested in audios for years, then realized the commercial potential in releasing missing episodes soundtracks with narration in the early '90s. I've got Tom Baker narrating Power of the Daleks from this (on cassette) and his comments are hilarious. A version of The Tomb of the Cybermen narrated by Jon Pertwee was put back by a year because of the recovery of the actual story!

Then the Restoration Team used The War Machines audio to patch up the VHS release in 1997, and from this point on the BBC have changed their attitude about the sound of Who.

Here's the news from Dr Who Online re the search for missing episodes from Thailand:

Missing Who in Thailand?

News Dated: 19/11/2008



Researcher claims to have traced nine early Doctor Who episodes to Thailand.



The BBC wiped dozens of episodes of the sci-fi serial during the 1960s and 1970s to make space in its archives.



However, some tapes thought lost forever have turned up in different corners of the world, having been shipped there by the BBC for broadcast on foreign television networks.



Researcher Damian Finucane claims to have traced nine early episodes to Thailand, including the seven-part Journey To Cathay serial in which the time-travelling Doctor joined Marco Polo on the Silk Route. They were sent for broadcast on the country's now-defunct Channel 4 in 1967.



Mr Finucane is offering a cash reward to anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing tapes.



"Records show that nine episodes from Doctor Who were shipped to Bangkok, and now we're looking for anybody who has any information about it," he told the Bangkok Post.



"There are at least a few thousand episodes of Doctor Who, but we are still missing 108 of them and nine may still survive in Thailand. We're looking all over the place to recover what we can.



"We don't mind if you have them on VHS or on film, and we don't care if it has been dubbed into Thai. We just need to find them. Doctor Who has great historical and cultural value - the missing episodes are a lost heritage."



Mr Finucane has contacted several Thai television stations and scoured the National Film Archive of Thailand, but to no avail.



[Source: Telegraph.co.uk]

By the way, I got my copy of "The War Machines" from Atlantic DVD, Blair Athol after having given up with EzyDVd (their distribution of the story is delayed indefinitely!). I really enjoyed the story and found old Hartnell quite likable, even though he fluffs his lines so often! Axel F is also right about the story's extras - I think this DVD must take the award for having the most minimal extras of them all (and this is not a good thing to say the least!!!!!)

Also, there's 2 things I'd like to ask that are concerning me - and I'm sure both Axel F and Martin are 2 of the best people to consult regarding these matters:

1)Since Lis Sladen is no longer going to take part in bonus features for Dr Who DVDs, will we still get stories from Seasons 11-14 released on DVD?
I really, really, really hope so as there are still so many classics that still need to be released (e.g. "The Seeds of Doom", "Planet of the Spiders", etc)

2) Blu ray Dr Who:
Since I'm not as DVD savvy as you guys, may I ask whether blu ray DVD players will play the standard DVDs we've been buying for the past 7 or so years?
AND will we have to buy ALL the normal DVDs on blu ray? Is this going to be like having to replace all our records (LPs) with CDs? Just how much of a change/impact will blu ray have on DVD collectors and their collections??????

The story is nonsense from start to finish. The only relevant part of it is his offer of a cash reward. Thailand was known to get these episodes so it's not even as if it's research. He has a Facebook account, and I suspect it's just self publicity. Idiots in the press have reported this as if it's the last step before a significant recovery, not a piece of self indulgent holiday propaganda.

Edit--It is now being reported that he recovered nine episodes. Just when you thought it couldn't get stupider...!

1. We'd suspect so, just without any Sladen.

2. We are kind of fortunate in this; Blu-Ray players should play DVDs and CDs, much as modern phonographs will play antique shellac. Beyond that I don't know.

Blu-Ray players can indeed play normal everyday dvds - although naturally they won't look as fabulous as a Blu-Ray disc, but you can still certainly play them.

One would imagine the rest of the stories from Seasons 11 - 14 wll be released....just without Sladen's involvement.  I suppose we should at least be thankful she recorded commentaries for her first and last stories.

As Martin said re: missing eps - it would be a miracle if any of those are found at all by now - and even if some were found one would have to wonder what condition they would be in after spending 40 plus years in the archives.

Thanks for your help there, guys. I was getting a bit worried about whether we'd get anymore DVD releases from Seasons 11-14.
And I was also worried about the DVD/blu ray phenomenon as well. Thanks again!

By the way, what's the difference between DVD and blu ray???

Blu-Ray has more space on the disc for better picture quality and more extras.

I think Blu-Rays are mostly beneficial for those who have massive big screen tv's.

Personally I'll buy a player when I need to!!

It was developed for gaming as well as boring old data storage, makes sense that it can hold way more info. But, hey, we don't want to get in your way of being all anxious about format change and such. Just I prefer to reserve my paranoia for things like health and immediate  perils.

We've already had a phase of idiots recording their Who collections on DVDR and junking their VHS tapes only to find DVDR doesn't in fact work. There's a whole new phase of idiots asking what they can do with their old tape collections, like that's a problem. My advice is a Viking funeral arrangement, possibly while they're still alive.

Back to the non-story about non-recovery of Thai episodes.

I looked up what has been recovered this year (courtesy Chris Perry). Shame the real story didn't make the papers.

Doctor Who – film trims from State of Decay; model sfx footage from various stories

Doctor Who – studio recordings from The Happiness Patrol and Battlefield evening session 1.6.1989

Gee - studio recordings of The Happiness Patrol and Battlefield - how glad I am that someone found those over an old 60's episode - NOT !!!!!

What's the bet they'll turn up on a McCoy dvd at some stage as another thrilling extra from 2Entertain?

They probably will--but that's not the point. They're real. It's a real recovery. They've really been recovered, it's a real event.

Unlike the Thai story which is somewhere between self publicity and con job.

FOUR TO DOOMSDAY

Peter Davison's 2nd story to be broadcast but first to be shot very much sees an actor finding his way in the role.

The story - about an evil overlord called the Monarch who is intent on crafting the Earth into his own image - is reasonably interesting - only let down by the lack of genuine threat and a rather terrible conclusion.

The use of androids created to look like ancient human tribes was a good touch, giving things a true multicultural feel.

However this raises the question as to what time in Earth's history the Monarch is invading.  If he's using the droids to fool people in late 20th Century Earth then this doesn't really make any sense given everyone else would surely cotton on immediately to his ruse. The Doctor does more or less specifically state that it's 1981 they're in and yet everyone is wearing old fashioned attire.

Now I know this is very pedantic to mention this........but since almost everyone on the ship are androids - didn't the actors playing them get the message that robots don't blink??!  Probably sounds petty saying that but still I'm a stickler for detail!

The story is mostly involving - except in the last episode where things fall apart.  The scene where the Doctor 'swims' out into space and saves himself with his cricket ball is cringe inducing at best, as is the spectacle of the androids creating chaos in the main entertainment arena.  It should also be pointed out that the special effects here are pretty bad too.

Despite that the general acting was pretty good, with Davison making a good first effort.  His role seems somewhat harder edged here and more focused.  This in turn made his interaction with the companions more realistic with the other cast doing a good job.

Four to Doomsday is what I term 'M.O.R. WHO' - very safe and insipid without causing anyone great offence.  A rather forgettable effort really.  The cliffhanger at the end of Part 4 was good though - leading into Kinda  - which given 2Entertain's policy of seemingly releasing the worst stories first means we won't see that particular tale for quite awhile.

As for the extras - what can I say? - this would without a doubt be the worst extras laden disc the company has released.

There's a 27 minute in studio recording of Davison's first day - about as exciting as watching Time and the Rani again that one!

Then a 15 min interview with Davison interviewed by someone wearing some pretty groovy 70's gear.  As an aside - it's nice to see that even then Davison was quite honest in his thoughts and didn't seem to 'toe the party line' in heaping false praise on certain things.

Another extra is a 3 min video clip of the 80's theme - which I'm almost certain has shown up before on another disc - meaning this is a repeat!

2Entertain have really gone down the tubes with the extras here - where was the making of doco for the story??  Did the budget run out? At the risk of using strong language here - this release in terms of extras is pretty pathetic - anyone wanting this should wait till it's foray into the bargain bins - which it surely will within a month.

The only saving grace is the thought of the huge extras coming up in the Trial of a Timelord box set next month.

As an overview of the year, I would say that this has been a very weak year for 2Entertain and they MUST lift their game in releasing stories fans truly want ie:  more classic Pertwee/Tom Baker ones.

Anyway this dvd is one for completists only - everyone should avoid.

Next up is the epic Trial of A Timelord - if I can handle watching the Doctor in Distress video clip I can handle anything - just!!

Just FYI, some details on the E-Space trilogy release http://www.purpleville.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rtwebsite/E-SpaceDVD.htm

I've just been watching my way through Warriors Gate, first time I've seen it since it was aired originally so I have to say I didnt remember too much about it.  Have to say though the ideas and execution of the whole story still hold up well today. 
The way the guest characters are portrayed are all slightly left of centre with more than a nod to Samual Beckett at times, and the budget restrictions unintentionally produce one of the strongest images of the whole story as the Doctor passes through a monochrome garden vista.

OK, I'm going about this the wrong way round but I now have Stae of Decay to watch my way through.  Again, not seen this for a long time but I have a slight feeling of dread about watching this one, I could never figure out if the way the Vampire king and Queen were (slightly over)acted was effective in the context of the story or just plain naff.

I knew the E-Space Trilogy would be released soonish - 2Entertain seem stuck in the 80s for the time being.

My next prediction is for the Black Guardian trilogy to be released....!

I quite liked State of Decay - very atmospheric and a pretty good script by Terence Dicks.

I think Season 18 overall was very well done and certainly the best Season JNT ever did by a mile....albiet with the help of Barry Letts.

Full Circle didn't particularly stand out for me much though - maybe the introduction of Adric put me off - never seemed to gel with me.

The E-Space Trilogy was ok - Warrior's Gate was the best story of that arc - even if I was sad to see Romana go !!